{"id":914,"date":"2022-08-23T00:48:02","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T00:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/?p=914"},"modified":"2023-11-28T19:07:06","modified_gmt":"2023-11-28T19:07:06","slug":"the-compass-docks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/?p=914","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"_3d-flip-book  fb3d-fullscreen-mode full-size\" data-id=\"1378\" data-mode=\"fullscreen\" data-title=\"false\" data-template=\"short-white-book-view\" data-lightbox=\"dark-shadow\" data-urlparam=\"fb3d-page\" data-page-n=\"0\" data-pdf=\"\" data-tax=\"null\" data-thumbnail=\"\" data-cols=\"3\" data-book-template=\"default\"><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">window.FB3D_CLIENT_DATA = window.FB3D_CLIENT_DATA || [];window.FB3D_CLIENT_DATA.push('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');window.FB3D_CLIENT_LOCALE && window.FB3D_CLIENT_LOCALE.render();<\/script>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Stablefield Docks<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chapter Twelve, Summer 2037<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles, Color, Marshall and Langley were sitting on the third level of an old building close to the edge of the city. Atlas, Mariah, and Jewel were having a discussion about prophecy and other boring stuff several yards behind them. The four seated Astronomers had been watching the stone boats, some the size of buses, others the size of the building they were on, floating about like fish in a drive-thru, coming and going from the docks. About thirty yards from them, there was a group of other fraisers that initially were showing them signs of trouble, but once they saw Atlas and just how armed the rest of the group was, they moved further away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just sitting on the building gave Myles many memories and facts about it. The structure was initially a two-story spa with fifteen-foot ceilings, making it nearly the height of a three-story building. The building was Japanese, Atlas had said, as was the whole city of Stablefield. Which meant the whole chunk of the Great Hook was some large piece of Japan. The countryside\u2026 that would explain why the roads weren\u2019t separated with yellow stripes and instead had white dotted lines and the road signs were on the wrong side of the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rooftop had large openings that were evidently covered up after the Rise. Nevertheless, the whole building offered a wonderful view of the docks. Myles had Color on his right, sitting quite close to him, and the hooded Langley, whose hands supported him from behind and pushed his shoulders forward, was on his left. Marshall sat cross-legged like Color, with one hand on each knee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The docks were built with massive metal springboards that helped catch the boats as they floated and drifted close to the city. The weight would come and push against the metal which would give a little and then push back as the whole boat came to rest. There were minders on the edges of each of the boats and once the huge floating rocks came to rest, two men would board the boat and offer them something to drink and eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI wonder what they eat,\u201d Langley said. \u201cWhat do you think those guys bring the minders every time they dock? Is it because they get tired?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All four still had their eyes forward as Color answered: \u201cBread is pretty easy to come by. There are a lot of bakeries because ovens and stoves are easy to make.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs opposed to fish, I assume,\u201d Marshall said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve heard of fish. They live in the Below, don\u2019t they? Like struellas?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Langley looked past Myles and at Color at the word \u2018struella\u2019 as Myles answered, \u201cYup. But they\u2019re usually only as big as my arm. And they\u2019re skinny. Have you seen photos before?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOnce in a picture book by a doctor. I heard the before the Rise, doctors could be a lot more than just people who cure people of sickness or heal broken bones or cuts. Is that right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are doctorate degrees,\u201d Marshall said, \u201cthat you can get for just about anything. There are doctors called PhDs. So instead of the Dee Are before your name, you get a pee aych dee. And you can be an engineer and have a PhD.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d Color said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAn engineer is a guy who knows machines and stuff really well,\u201d Marshall said. \u201cThey\u2019re usually smart people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDo fish smile?\u201d Color asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAsk Blink. He knows all about fishes. And incidentally, what the hell are you guys talking about when a boat docks? There are minders on each of the boats?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFuck, sorry. Forgot the Guru\u2026 you know.\u201d Langley figured he knew what they meant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIs as blind as drywall?\u201d Marshall said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles laughed; he couldn\u2019t help himself. \u201cThat\u2019s a new one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s drywall?\u201d Color asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Langley almost said \u2018quorux\u2019, but at the last moment, he said, \u201cIt\u2019s when a woman doesn\u2019t get a period anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That set Marshall and Myles off on a new spur of laughter, but Color only made a disgusted face combined with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBut seriously, it\u2019s stuff that walls in the houses are made of. The inside walls, that is. It\u2019s like super thick cardboard. You know what cardboard is, right?\u2026 No offense.\u201d Langley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know about cardboard, but I\u2019ve seen the insides of houses, so\u2026 I understand what Marshall meant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They continued watching a couple more boats ease into the harbor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA lot of \u2018em haven\u2019t moved for a while,\u201d Langley said, meaning the spots in the harbor that hadn\u2019t moved..<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cProbably staying a while. Visiting,\u201d Marshall said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the boats, tethered rather close to another, nudged its neighbor and a small swirl of rocks and dust flurried down in a stream and toward the Below. A lot of shouting could be heard from those two ships, most of it inaudible. The small cloud of dirt could be seen for a while longer as it floated toward the planet\u2019s watery core.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles turned his gaze to the right again and Color knew what he was looking at. Langley as well. They fixed their gaze on the large speck in the distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <em>Stone Compass<\/em>. Meant to dock in a day or less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe still have no idea how to save Coh, do we?\u201d Marshall said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCan\u2019t take him in the forest, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Color said, still looking at the <em>Compass<\/em>. \u201cThe cavaliers usually train in areas like that and would wipe us out. It\u2019s the city if anywhere. We have the advantage here and that\u2019s probably why they aren\u2019t in here anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHow many cavs were there, Marshall?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Marshall shrugged. \u201cA few dozen? And they have a prophet. It wasn\u2019t a small caravan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey got the numbers, that\u2019s for sure. They\u2019re being careful.\u201d Myles began twiddling his thumbs in a circle. Forward and then backward. Then forward-backward. Then tried to make his hands circle themselves in two different directions. Color watched his hands with slight interest and then tried to do the same and found it was just as hard for her. She became frustrated and crashed her hands together in an array of fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGreat.\u201d Myles stood up. He wanted to see what Atlas, Mariah, and Jewel were up to and walked over to them. They were up the ladder on a taller building that was less-safe to be on, but had a better view of the whole city. Myles climbed the several makeshift rungs, two of which were only connected to one side of the ladder. Then he carefully swung his leg onto the building and made the rest of himself follow. He looked down at where Color, Langley, and Marshall sat before wiping his hands once and approaching Atlas and the other girls. They were standing with their backs to him: Atlas\u2019s green jacket on the left, Jewel\u2019s denim dragon-jacket in the middle, and Mariah\u2019s swollen snowcoat on the right. Atlas\u2019s head started to turn a second before Mariah\u2019s as they sensed him behind them. Jewel\u2019s looked for a second, smiled politely, and then looked back to the forest on the outskirts of the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s so interesting?\u201d Myles asked as he stood on Atlas\u2019s left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen the cavs come, we need a plan,\u201d Atlas said. \u201cIt\u2019s dangerous to spy on them, so we were thinking it would be best to have two lookouts, size them up on their way into the city, and execute a plan as they\u2019re inside the city.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Half-baked<\/em>, Myles thought. That\u2019s what this was. \u201cThis is your best plan?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHalf-baked\u2026 I like that terminology. I\u2019d forgotten about it,\u201d Atlas said and then said, \u201cIf our options were more cooperative, we\u2019d likely pick something else. And we\u2019re wide open to other suggestions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After staring with them for nearly a minute, Myles asked, \u201cWe can\u2019t spy on them by sneaking into their camp at night?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas said. \u201cThey\u2019d know we\u2019re there before we could gather everything we needed and then they would tighten their restrictions as they navigated the city. But if they think that there are no interested parties at the moment, it gives us the element of surprise as they enter the city.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles\u2019s insides felt like a trampoline and his heart was a bowling ball right in the center, weighing it down as the trampoline\u2019s tension tried to push it back. \u201cSo that\u2019s the plan when they come out of the woods. What about now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe should elect a lookout,\u201d Atlas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The smooth grating of a drawn sword rang once, twice, the second overlapping the first. It came from down the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jewel and Atlas ran toward it, Jewel holding her <em>katana<\/em> and Atlas putting his hand into his green coat. Mariah and Myles made a second of eye-contact before staying a few steps behind Atlas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below, Color had each of her knives in her hands, Marshall had both <em>daisho<\/em> out, and Langley was on his toes ready to fly. Against them were five other fraisers, all girls, one with a drawn machete, two with homemade wooden spears, and the other two with folded arms. Myles guessed the youngest to be a year older than himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBack off,\u201d Marshall said, taking a few slow steps backward. Color was giving ground as well to the aimed spears. Langley was a few inches behind them, toes barely touching the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color\u2019s fingers were tingling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas removed his weapon from his jacket: a small black stick, about a foot long and nearly the thickness of a cigar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles and Mariah gained one good look at it and could sense\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Something <em>powerful,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the stick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d Myles asked, forgetting a few of his friends were in grave danger. Atlas swung himself down the ladder, green coat making an arc with his swing. The five armed girls watched him and hesitated, waiting to see what he would do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou three, up there! You <em>stay<\/em> there, ya hear?\u201d One of the folded-armed girls said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It hadn\u2019t occurred to Myles that he could do anything anyway, but he could sense Jewel gritting her teeth and jumping onto the ladder anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mariah followed and the machete and spears started forward much faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t be stupid!\u201d Marshall advised as he slashed his blades forward against the spears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas reached the spa\u2019s roof, held the stick out in his right hand for all to see, and let it transform. The whole stick waned and moved like liquid into a new, much larger shape. Now it was a sword. Not a cutlass, not a fencing sword, not a longsword. It was a shorter broadsword. The whole group of girls took a large step back at the sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s\u2026 Stevie?\u201d Machete asked. \u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the folded-arms girls, now with her hands hovering tense at her sides, had her eyes wide open. She strategically said nothing to hide her ignorance, but her eyes stayed riveted on<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas continued to advance upon them, letting the sword transform into a spear with a curved blade. \u201cYou heard him; back off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The girls all regrouped shyly and ran away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWho were they?\u201d Marshall asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFraiser gang of some kind. The real currency of the whole planet seems to be fraisers,\u201d Atlas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat is that?\u201d Color, along with everyone else aside from Marshall, was looking at Atlas\u2019s weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHave you heard of the Verity Temple of Veldur?\u201d Atlas asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jewel nodded. \u201cOnly heard of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rest of the fraisers shook their heads or said \u2018no.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cQuorux!\u201d Atlas said as the weapon swirled back into that little black cigar and he tucked it into his jacket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat are you guys talking about?\u201d Marshall asked. \u201cI can sense things, but I can\u2019t see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Langley said, \u201cAtlas has this black weapon that turns into a spear and a sword, but transforms down to the size of a little stick or wand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Marshall wrinkled his brow. \u201cWhy the fuck can\u2019t something just be normal for a day? We\u2019re about to attack some caravan led by old-timey cavaliers to save a telekinetic kid with this weridass guy named Atlas who now has a transforming stick? Fuck me. Another question for Atlas: why didn\u2019t you know more about this caravan to begin with? And try to heist it before you met us? How were you going to do this if you didn\u2019t know about us?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas shrugged. \u201cFrankly, I didn\u2019t know <em>how<\/em> Coh would be arriving in Stablefield, just that he would be here at a certain time, heavily guarded, and later I learned that the Shepherd would be either stealing him away or he would be traded, probably by cavs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe original plan was to take Myles onto the Stone Compass once the Shepherd had him. Myles would claim Auric, the Amber Staff, and we would recover Coh after that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The wind dusted and nipped around them like a pack of ghostly chihuahuas, making every loose piece of fabric flap or flow in the wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHow did you know that?\u201d Mariah asked the obvious after a silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re a prophet long enough, your prophesying will actually give you glimpses of information of the future,\u201d Atlas said. \u201cUsually the glimpses are vague and you still have to venture into the unknown and fill in the blanks. I had no idea one of the blanks in my plan would be filled with an entire group of fraisers. The Astronomers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLike the trick of blocking your present thoughts out?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cExactly. That trick I actually learned from someone who wasn\u2019t even a prophet; he was a Buddhist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat other sights did you see of the future?\u201d Myles was interested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas just lightly shook his head and Myles and Mariah could finally hear his thoughts, a controlled melody: <em>I\u2019d rather not say. At least not right now.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles thought to him, <em>Why tell us anything at all?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas said aloud: <em>\u201cHushes win the fights, and Hangers always fly,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Minders throw their rocks, but Prophets never lie.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color\u2019s face lit up. \u201cWe used to say something similar in my village! A little rhyme that summed up all of the fraisers, but it went like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>Hangers can fly and love the trees,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cHushes bend and move like the breeze,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cMinders change the ground and rock,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cAnd prophets can hear us even when we don\u2019t talk.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles could sense a certain sadness from Color, but it was paired with happiness. The happiness was because she was in a new village in a sense. The poem was a little slice of her village that she remembered, but now it was also part of this present group now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas\u2019s eyes seemed to always be halfway closed and Myles was wildly curious about all of these things Atlas was referencing, but stopped short with this \u2018quorux\u2019 word. Atlas seemed to too relaxed. There was something wrong; Myles knew because Pretty had pointed it out more than once to Myles himself. Damn, what Myles would give to see Pretty in person right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis still doesn\u2019t make complete sense to me, Atlas,\u201d Myles said. \u201cThis is such a specific plan\u2026 why do you need the staff claimed? Why can\u2019t you do that yourself? And why can\u2019t you just sneak onto the <em>Stone Compass<\/em>, get Coh, and leave?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas paused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles said, \u201cDon\u2019t you say that word again. I need some answers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is a favor for a good friend of mine. If it isn\u2019t executed delicately, Coh will be taken into a different custody than the one he has grown up in all his life. There currently isn\u2019t a way for me to bruteforce my way through the cavaliers to get Coh back right now, even with all of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCoh is an important individual in many peoples\u2019 lives to an extent that you may understand soon. It\u2019s a very, very, very long story. If all goes according to plan, the people who are in charge of Coh won\u2019t realize he has been kidnapped and will allow his real caretaker to continue being his guardian.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles sighed. \u201cI know that answer was supposed to clear up some of the situation and I can tell you\u2019re telling the truth with all of that, but I just feel even more\u2026\u201d <em>even more what? Confused? <\/em>\u201cIt\u2019s like I\u2019m realizing just how little I know about the whole\u2026 worlds?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCurve. The curve is what houses all the 90 worlds you\u2019re able to currently travel to. You saw all of them when you were in the Void.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd outside of the curve?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNobody knows how to travel outside of the Blackbox Curve,\u201d Atlas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That seemed to end the conversation. All of the fraisers were looking at Atlas for the next course of action and he said, \u201cWho wants first watch? The cavs could break that treeline whenever and we need at least one pair of eyes up on that- Marshall, put your hand down,\u201d Atlas was smiling now. \u201cUp on that building I was just on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll do it,\u201d Jewel said heading over to the ladder. Instead of climbing it properly, she grabbed just one pole and shimmied up the side of the ladder like a drainpipe, before disappearing on the adjacent building\u2019s rooftop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Atlas headed for the wall nearby to block the wind for him, a door on the side of the building opened and a man drying his hands on a towel appeared. He had an apron on and a potbelly with a double-chin that matched like a two-piece suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe devil is goin\u2019 on up \u2018ere?\u201d He asked, though he clearly seemed intimidated by the numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re camping here for a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ll be gone by later?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMaybe,\u201d Atlas said. \u201cDepends on the cavs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t git by \u2018later\u2019 and I\u2019ll let the cavs know you\u2019re here. Nobody got killed up here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNah.\u201d Atlas adjusted his seating and laid his head against the wall. His long jacket pooled around his seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cKeep it that way.\u201d Double-chin still had the towel on his forearm and a knife, formerly hidden by the towel, in the other hand when he closed the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once the door shut, all of the fraisers looked at Atlas again, partially hoping he would have a task for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMyles,\u201d Atlas said, \u201cI need to speak with you. The rest of you\u2026 stay close by and close to each other. I don\u2019t know who else is around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles approached and sat down next to him. The two prophets watched the rest of the fraisers bumble about, unsure of what to do. Marshall headed up the ladder to be with Jewel and Langley bounded with him. Color and Mariah looked at each other and started chatting. They apparently decided to head to the far side of the roof and sit there to talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are a couple of things you need to know about the situation,\u201d Atlas said. \u201cNo more \u2018quorux\u2019es.\u201d He reached into his jacket again like he was retrieving a wallet to pay a bill. He removed the stick again and held it. Myles stared at it, feeling its mystic power even from here. He wondered what it would be like to hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDo you know what this is, Myles?\u201d Atlas asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d Myles said. \u201cJust that it\u2019s more than a weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the Barterrod, one of the twelve Truth Staffs. The Shepherd has one of them as well. I originally thought I would only have you to help me retrieve Coh and this whole time I assumed I would have to battle the Shepherd. But the only way to beat someone like the Shepherd is to take what makes him so powerful: his own Truth Staff. He has Auric which requires a high enough Legacy Bond to wield and you are one of the few that has a high enough Legacy Bond.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHow did you know I would be placed so close to you at just the right time?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI steered you to land at the right planet at the right time, but apparently I took a little too long and grabbed the wrong Astronomer in the process, hence the tight schedule. Ideally, you\u2019d have been here with me for a month or so and trained you to be a\u2026 more adept prophet,\u201d Atlas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat about my friends?\u201d Myles said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat about them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey landed so close; how?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYour hands slipped as you neared the destination I steered you toward, so you landed in almost the same place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you come and get me sooner? Mariah said you had a whole house a mirrors like some carnival ride, trying to catch me or something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cRemember your jump, the one back in 2000? Once a jump is initiated, you set the time for when you will land. You set the time for the year 2037 the instant you jumped, so there was no way for me to retrieve you earlier; I could only intercept you. It was tricky finding you in those jumps, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles put his own head against the wall and thought about other questions. Then he said, \u201cSo you need me to help you take the Shepherd\u2019s staff? That\u2019s why you needed me this whole time? Why couldn\u2019t you do it yourself? You said your legacy bond was really high too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s true, but I already hold a Truth Staff. You can\u2019t wield two at once,\u201d Atlas said. \u201cBut now that we have such a formidable group of fraisers, we may not have to battle the Shepherd at all. My original plan was with Eve, a prophet on the <em>Stone Compass<\/em>, who has been my informant. You\u2019d like her; she\u2019s similar to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEve\u2019s and my plan was to have her aid you and me in sneaking onto the <em>Compass<\/em> after the cavs had finished the transfer and once the <em>Compass<\/em> was well on it\u2019s way, we would take the Shepherd by surprise. The Shepherd also has a goorang which could prove troublesome. I haven\u2019t been able to contact Eve since meeting Mariah and Langley, but we each know the plan, though she doesn\u2019t know about the developments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHow did you meet Eve?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI met her when I originally met the Shepherd with Rick Rideout, a monster expert. I\u2019ve been on this planet for a while. The Shepherd tried to convince me to stay on the <em>Compass<\/em> and work for him in exchange for some valuable materials which I am still unsure as to how he obtained them. The\u2026 there are people\u2026 well, <em>individuals,<\/em> who keep track of those with a Staff. The Shepherd is one of the better breeders of voidbanes. Monsters that void-shepherds use to keep\u2026\u201d Atlas noticed Myles\u2019s face was a montage of confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s stick to the original plan; it sounds like we won\u2019t need Eve after all?\u201d Myles said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas sighed and tapped the stick on his knee. \u201cThere\u2019s an issue.\u201d He let the black stick slowly transform into a knife. A butterknife. Then a fork. Then a ladle. Then a pot. \u201cI got a whole kitchen of kitchenware, right in my hand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMake it into a cleaver,\u201d Myles said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas looked into the distance. \u201cWhat do those look like again?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cButcher knife thing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas mouthed \u2018aha\u2019 and let it transform. The cleaver wasn\u2019t as deft or quick as the others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHow big can a weapon get?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think I made a thin, thin spear once to about twelve feet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCan you make it into a mug?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas gripped the stick like it was a hilt and both ends of the pitch-black stick crawled slowly together, turning into a full mug. \u201cBut,\u201d Atlas said and tilted the whole thing sideways. The mug was filled in. Then Atlas tilted it and from the mug, the blackness \u2018poured\u2019 out and emptied as he tipped it fully upside down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCan I hold it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas let it transform into a stick and handed it to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles put his fingers around it like it was hot to the touch and then put it in both hands. It was heavier than he imagined, like it was made of steel. It didn\u2019t move or wane. Didn\u2019t budge or flicker. \u201cHow do you transform it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOnly I can do that. Had to figure it out on my own. When I claimed it, the whole thing looked like Yoda\u2019s cane from <em>Star Wars<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhich one? <em>Empire Strikes Back<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the one. Where he talks like Grover from <em>Sesame Street<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLangley can do a great Grover impression.\u201d Myles said, handing the stick back. \u201cDoes it get heavier when it transforms?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNot to me, but I have been able to use its physics in odd ways. If I transform it into a large bat, the end is heavier than the rest of it to everything but me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOkay, we got sidetracked,\u201d Myles said. \u201cYou said there was another issue and we started talking about the stick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe issue is: I already promised Eve I would help her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSo\u2026 don\u2019t,\u201d Myles hesitated as that last word tipped out of his mouth like spitting out a shooter marble. About a month ago, this would have seemed incredibly logical, but now? It seemed heartless. Horribly incorrect. Untruthful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI hear what you\u2019re thinking, and I understand,\u201d Atlas said. \u201cIt\u2019s simply not right to do something like that, is it? I have to help her, Myles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles and Atlas put their heads against the wall together and thought. Myles understood the predicament now and he decided to just let his mind wander instead of thinking about the issue. He could see Color and Mariah chatting against the wall. After about a minute of Myles looking at them out the corner of his eye, he saw Color get up for a second, bend into a butter-smooth handstand and then drop her feet along either side of her body: A midair split.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas\u2019s gaze was straight ahead as he turned the collar of his jacket up against the traces of wind. The Sage couldn\u2019t take his eyes off the spectacle of Color doing the splits so easily and professionally. It made him proud as he thought, <em>that\u2019s the girl who said she loves me. She\u2019s not anyone\u2019s friend like she\u2019s my friend.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat do we do?\u201d Myles turned his head back at Atlas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe stick to the original plan. Eve will help us get Coh smuggled off the <em>Compass<\/em>, but I think the Shepherd is planning on selling Coh again for an even greater deal. Coh is nothing but an asset to some of these people. The night of the trade, we infiltrate the <em>Compass<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles shrugged in agreement and wondered if Eve was the Shepherd\u2019s only prophet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEve is his only prophet and if we encounter the Shepherd, he will protect Eve and Coh with lethal force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles wanted to ask him to stop listening in, but then realized Atlas probably heard that as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas grinned, his eyes still shut and moist against the wind. \u201cI don\u2019t mean to listen. My mental ears have been open for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>We can\u2019t bargain with the other fraisers in the caravan. We would set them free. Why not hijack or buy a different boat and attack the <\/em>Compass<em>?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atlas spoke again. \u201cHe\u2019s heavily equipped to deal with enemies. He has many, including the cavs. They stick it to him at every chance they get. That\u2019s why when they do meet and do business, it\u2019s quick and tense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles tried to formulate a different plan in his head regardless, but none of them stuck and led back to the caravan and the <em>Compass<\/em>\u2019s flighty nature. Myles gave up by folding his arms to retain heat and muttering an appropriate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cJeepers, creepers, laughers and weepers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Stablefield Docks Chapter Twelve, Summer 2037 Myles, Color, Marshall and Langley were sitting on the third level of an old building close to the edge of the city. Atlas, Mariah, and Jewel were having a discussion about prophecy and other boring stuff several yards behind them. The four seated Astronomers had been watching the &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/?p=914\" class=\"more-link\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fraiser"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=914"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1380,"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914\/revisions\/1380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}